Franciscan Friar to Speak at St. John's Seminary

The public is invited to a lecture by Franciscan Friar Joseph P. Chinnici at the 17th annual Reverend Newman C. Eberhardt, C.M. Lecture at St. John's Seminary next Tuesday, Nov 14, 2012, beginning at 7 PM. The lecture is free, approximately 90 minutes long, and will be followed by a short reception in the Seminary's Refectory. To attend please RSVP to advancement@stjohnsem.edu or call (805) 389-2035.

"St. Francis of Assisi is justly known as the "saint of the poor" both in practice and theory. Our speaker will detail some of the dimensions of the saint's social vision and how his followers developed his spiritual insights into a more comprehensive vision of human dignity, fraternity, an economy of gift, and institutional practice," says Monsignor Craig A. Cox, Rector/ President of St. John's Seminary.

Joseph P. Chinnici, O.F.M., an ordained Franciscan friar of the Santa Barbara Province, is currently President of the Franciscan School of Theology, Berkeley, California. After receiving his doctorate in Church history from Oxford University, he has served the Church and his Order in various positions as teacher and administrator. Having written several books on American Catholicism, he has also published in Franciscan spirituality and theology as applied to the contemporary world. For twelve years he has served as Chairman of the Secretariat for the Retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition. His most recent publication is When Values Collide: The Catholic Church, Sexual Abuse, and the Challenges of Leadership (Orbis, 2010), which won first prize from the Catholic Press Association for works in pastoral theology.

The Eberhardt Lecture Series at St. John's Seminary is named in honor of Father Newman C. Eberhardt, C.M., who was Professor of Church History at St. John's Seminary from 1941 to 1995. It's endowed by the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians Order), Province of the West, to support the continuing education of priests, deacons, and lay ministers in the Roman Catholic Church.

St. John's Seminary is a multicultural community of seminarians pursuing advanced professional degrees leading to ordination and pastoral ministry (Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry) and teaching Catholic theology (M.A.). Seminarians come from diverse backgrounds, ages and professions. The St. John's Seminary campus includes the Edward Laurence Doheny and the Carrie Estelle Doheny Libraries, providing seminarians with excellent access to research materials and services. For more information on St. John's Seminary please call the Office of Advancement at (805) 482-2755 ext 2035 or write advancement@stjohnsem.edu

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